Expansion joint



Patented Oct. 10, 1933 EXPANSION JOINT Arthur C. Badger, Newton, Mass.

Application March 27, 1929, serial No.

Renewed May 27, 1933 10 Claims. (Cl. 285-90).

The present invention relates to so-called expansion joints for pipes, these being short lengths of pipe, or couplings, which are capable of being lengthened or shortened in the axial direction and are designed for connection between ends of rigid pipe sections to permit expansion and contraction of such sections by temperature changes, without injury. The object is to provide an expansion joint of this character, and more particularly of the corrugated type, which will stand subjection to high temperatures and pressures without injury, will permit a wide range of expansileand contractile movement in proporton to the number of corrugations, and is equipped with means to prevent permanent deformation of the corrugations when the joint is excessively contracted by expansion of the connected pipe sections.

The invention consists in an expansion joint having the novel features and characteristics hereinafter described and claimed in connection with ill'astration of one of its possible embodiments.

In the drawing furnished herewith,-

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partially broken away and shown in section, of an expansion joint em-` bodying this invention; V

Fig. 2 is a cross section of one of the rings by which shortening of the expansion joint is limited and permanent deformation of the corrugations is prevented;

Fig.,3 is a partial section of a similar ring having a diiferent means for connecting its constituent parts together.

The expansion joint of this invention is formed with any desired number of corrugations 1, 2 and 3, and with end fianges 4 and 5 adapted to be secured to complemental fianges 6 and 7 respectively on pipe sections 8 and 9 between which the expansion joint is interposed. The corrugations are made with exceptionally great depth radially of the pipe and with exceptionally great strength and refractory quality to resist pressure and withstand the effects of high temperature, in comparison with the expansion joints formed of corrugated seamless tubing heretofore generally used. Thus the present joint is particularly adapted for insertion in pipe lines designed to convey high pressure and superheated steam.

To obtain these qualities, the corrugated portion of the joint is built up of annular plates or disks 10, duplicates of one another, each of which is formed with a flange 11 at its outer circumference directed toward one side, and with a fiange 12 at the inner circumference directed toward the other side. Otherwise the disksmay be entirely plane, but they are preferably formed with circular concentric ridges and depressions,.'as shown in the drawing, to increase their elastic fiexibility.

Thel fianges 11 and 12 have a toric curvature and extend through approximately 90 of arc from the plane of thus formed are assembled together face to face and back to back so that the outer fianges of each pair of disks abut against one another to form the ridges of the corrugations, while ,the inner fiange on one of such pairs abuts against the inner fiange of the next pair to form the bottoms of the grooves or valleys between the corrugations. The fianges thus abutting are welded together, preferably by electric welding, so that the disks are Joined in a single unitary structure of homogeneous character. They are made of an intrinsically strong and tough weldable metal or the disk. A succession of disks alloy, such as iron, any of the suitable steels or steel alloys, German silver, etc., and may have any thickness suicient to prevent rupture under the pressures to which the expansion joint is in-` tended to be subjected. This construction enables the corrugations to be made of any desired depth radially of the joint.

The inner fianges at the ends of this unitary collection of disks are secured to the end fianges to complete the joint. The conditions under which these structures areused require the fianges 4 and 5 to be rigid and rugged. They are preferably made therefore of cast iron, and in order that the necessary tight union may be effected between the corrugations and the flanged ends of the joint, tubes 13 of the same material as the disks are assembled as lining sleeves within the coupling fianges and are butt welded to the interior fianges of the endmost disks. Such lining sleeves or tubes have out-tumed fianges o r lips 14 on theii ids which overlap the end fianges of the attaching faces and the gaskets 15 which are inserted between such fianges and the adiacent pipe section fianges, so as to make leakage tight joints and prevent the lining sleeves from being pulled out of the attaching fianges. Also the latter are preferably recessed on their end faces to receive the outtumed lipsV of the lining sleeves.

The expansion joint thus made is designed to be connected with adiacent pipe sections in the undistorted condition shown in the drawing. It takes substantially this condition and form whenever the pipe line is cold. It may be shortened by expansion of the adiacent pipe sections until the inner bends or valleys come together. In order to prevent further collapse and distortion of the ioint beyond the stage last indicated, I provide abutment shoulders 16 in rigid engagement with the end flange fittings and equivalent abutment rings 1'7 in the valleys between the corrugations. Preferably the abutment shoulder is integral with the adiacent end flange, 4 or 5 respectively, andis spaced apart therefrom by an intermediate sleeve portion 18 of great enough length to furnish room for the insertipn of bolts, or application of nuts to such bolts, by which the flange of the expansion ioint is connected to the flange of the adiacent pipe section. The intermediate rings are independent and are separately placed in the valleys. To permit their placement and removal they are preferably made in two parts to flt together on a diametral plane and are secured by screws 19 passed through countersimk holes in oneof the sections and screwed into tapped holes in the other, as shown in Fig. 2. However, the sections may be provided with overlapping lugs 20 and 21 connected by a screw 22, as shown in Fig. 3; or may be made in any other desired way.

All of said abutments are fltted to the valleys of the pipe corrugations both with respect to the radius of curvature thereof around the axis of the pipe and to the curvature thereof longitudinaiiy of the pipe, that is, their toric curvature. Their sides adiacent to the several disks are conical or beveled to a degree which corresponds to the inclinations of the sides of the disks when the valleys are brought together. At such times the ridges of adiacent corrugations likewise come into contact with one another or nearly so. In

. shortening or collapse of the ioint by external force applied to its ends (as by expansion of the V connected rigid pipe sections 8 and 9), the walls of the corrugations are flexed around the inner -toric curves of the abutments into contact with the sides of the abutments until, when such shortening has proceeded to the limit, there is continuous uninterrupted contact of the bottom and adiacent side walls of the several valleys with the contiguous parts of the respective abutments from the inner circumference thereof outwardly. When the disks are made with annular offset ridges, as shown, there is such contact at the tops of the ridges and the contact is continuous and uninterrupted, even over the rigid area, in the sense that all the ridges between the inner and outer circumferences of the abutments make contact. 'I'hus the abutments not only furnish solid masses which prevent the valley curves from being distorted, but their sides also support and reinforce the sides of the corrugations preventing them from being excessively distorted, either by pressure imposed by the connected pipe sections or by the pressure of the conilned steam or other fluid. Such abutments may, if desired, be extended outward until their opposite faces meet, but for most purposes it is suilicient that they extend substantially as far as shown in the drawing.

When the ioint is collapsed by expansion of the pipe sections with which it is connected, the bottoms or valleys of the corrugations are sustained against change of shape by the abutment rings, which substantially iill them; and the side walls are flexed gradually around the rings, in the course of the collapsing movement, until the limit of such movement is reached. Owing to the great depth of the corrugations, (as shown, they are deeper than the distance in the axial tion between the centers of adiacent corrugations) these side walls may be substantially perpendicular to the axis of the ioint when in the unstressed or uncollapsed condition, and they are very flexible and able to distribute over their radial width all the distortion due to shortening and lengthening of the ioint as a whole, without stressing seriously the valley or ridge curves of the corrugations. Such flexibility is enhanced by the concentric ridges and grooves (secondary corrugations) shown in the drawing; but even when the walls are uncorrugated, as they may be within the scope of the invention, they are still flexible enough for the purposes above indicated.

Instead of making the abutments 16 integral with the end flanges, they also may be made as separate rings like the rings 17, if desired, seated detachably in the recess between the endmost disk and the sleeve portion 18.

An expansion ioint constructed as herein described, or with equivalent characteristics, may be made relatively short by reason of the great depth and flexibility of the corrugations, while aifording ample capacity for expansion of the connected pipe sections. Its construction permits use of strongmetal sufiiciently thick to confine the highest steam pressures without danger of bursting or being stretched beyond the elastic limit, and metal moreover which is not softened appreciably by the temperature of high pressure superheated steam. Finally, it may be made at relatively very low cost.

considering the tubes 13 as parts of the expansion unit rather than of the fiange fittings, it is apparent that this expansion ioint comprises homogeneous integral corrugationsand tubular ends, with reinforcing sleeves or tubes and abutments, and end attaching flanges; the former furnishing the flexibility necessary for expansion of adioining pipe sections and impermeability against leakage, while the reinforcing means prevents damage by excessive expansion of the adjoining sections.

What I- claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An expansion ioint for pipe lines comprising end fittings, intermediate corrugations, and abutments on said ilttings and between said corrugations having an interior curvature fltting the valleys of the corrugations and beveled sides conforming substantially to the inclination of the sides of said corrugations when said valley portions are brought together.

2. An expansion ioint for pipe lines comprising a tubular bellows structure having annular ridges and an intermediate valley of smooth continuous curvature in proflle, and an abutment ring occupying said valley and surrounding that part of the ioint, said ring having a cross section at and adiacent to its inner circumference conforming in dimensions and shape approximately to the profile of the valley bottom and having its sides converging toward the outer circumference in substantial conformity to the inclination of the walls of the valley when the ridges are brought together by shortening of the ioint.

3. An expansion ioint for pipe lines comprising a tubular bellows structure having annular ridges and an intermediate valley of smooth continuous curvature in profile, and an abutment ring occupyng said valley and surrounding that part of the ioint, said ring being of smaller outside diaineter than said ridges and having a cross section at and adiacent to its inner circumference conforming in dimensions and shape approximately to the proflle of the Valley bottom and having its sides converging toward the outer circumference in substantial conformity to the inclination of the walls of the Valley when the ridges are brought toward one another by shortening of the joint.

4. In a corrugated expansion joint, an abutment ring adapted to occupy the groove or Valley between two corrugations, said ring being constructed of a plurality of separable parts having overlapping lugs, and a fastening screw passing through the outer of said lugs into threaded engagement with the inner adiacent lug and having its head sunk within the outer circumference of the ring.

5. An expansion joint for pipe lines comprising a tubular corrugated structure having a Valley between fianking ridges or corrugations deeper than the center distance between such ridges axially of the structure, such Valley having a f smooth toric curvature of substantial radius, and

a ring occupying said Valley substantially fitting and lling the bottom thereof, and having sides arranged to support, against distortion when the joint is collapsed, the side walls of such Valley adiacent to the bottom thereof.

6. An expansion joint for pipe lines comprising a tubular corrugated structure having a Valley between fianking ridges or corrugations, such Valley having a smooth toric curvature and flexible sides, combined with a ring occupying said Valley substantially fitting and filling the bottom thereof, and having sides so disposed with respect to the flexible sides of the Valley that the latter are adapted to make uninterrupted contact with the ring, from the inner circumference thereof outwardly along the sides, when the joint is shortened.

7. An expansion joint comprising a tubular corrugated structure having a Valley or groove with fiexible sides and toric curvature at its bottom, and a ring oocupying said Valley having an inner diameterV equal to the diameter of the Valley bottom and a toric curvature approximately equal to that of the Valley bottom when the tubular structure is in its normal unstressed condition,

the side i'aces of said ring extending in smooth continuity with the inner curvature thereof; the arrangement being such that when the joint is shortened the bottom of the Valley and adiacent portions of the side walls will make contact with the corresponding parts of the ring.

8. An expansion joint for pipe lines comprising a tubular bellows structure having annular ridges and an intermediate Valley with smooth continuous curvature in profile, and an abutment ring occupying said Valley and substantially fitting the bottom thereof, said ring having a cross section at and adjacent to its inner crcumference conforming in dimensions and shape to the profile of the corresponding part of the Valley occupied thereby when the joint is shortened to the limit.

9. An expansion joint for pipe lines comprising a tubular bellows structure having annular ridges and an intermediate Valley of smooth continuous curvature in profile with connecting walls substantially perpendicular to the axis of the joint when the latter is in its normal unstressed condition, an abutment ring occupying said Valley and external abutments beside the outermost side walls of the bellows structure, said ring and abutments having side faces which conform to the inclination of the contiguous side walls of the corrugations when the joint is shortened' to the limit, the ring being of smaller outside diameter than the annular ridges, whereby in shortening of the joint the corrugations are adapted to come into contact with one another at both top and bottom.

10. An expansion joint forV pipe lines comprising end fittings, intermediate corrugations, and abutments on said end iittings and between said corrugations having an interior curvature fitting and cfilling the Valley bottoms of the corrugations and having sides in contact with the tops of all the after-mentioned ridges which lie within the outer circumferences of the abutments when the joint is shortened to its limit of shortening;` the sides of the corrugations being provided with oppositely offset, annular ridges and grooves for enhancement of flexibility.

ARTHU'R C. BADGER. 

